Chapter Six #2
Ryker steps into the entryway trussed up in a sharp, dark suit, his tie already loosened and hanging around his neck, the cuffs of his shirt rolled up. He drops a leather briefcase by the console table and walks into the living room, stopping short when he sees us.
The three of us are clustered together on the couch. My leg is still pressed to Aiden’s, and Aiden’s hand is still resting on my lower back.
Ryker doesn’t say a word. His eyes sweep over the scene. His gaze lands on Aiden’s hand, then flicks up to my face. The look he gives me is impossible to read. My spine stiffens and my pulse spikes nervously.
He doesn’t make a snide comment or tell Aiden to move though. He holds my gaze for a long, quiet moment before he gives a short nod to Ash and heads down the hall toward his bedroom to change.
I swallow dryly, the phantom pressure of Ryker’s stare lingering on my skin. Aiden’s hand gives my back a brief, reassuring pat before he finally moves it to grab his beer, acting like the temperature in the room didn’t just drop twenty degrees.
Dinner is a test of endurance. Ash makes a roasted chicken with vegetables, plating it up on the dining table. The four of us sit down together for the first time, the clinking of silverware filling the spaces between conversations.
Ash and Aiden do most of the talking, discussing some upcoming schedule stuff and a case Ash is wrapping up at the firm.
I try to keep my head down and focus on eating, but it’s nearly impossible.
Ryker sits across from me. He’s changed into a black v-neck shirt that shows off the sprawling tattoos on his chest and neck, his dark hair messy from where he must have run his hands through it.
And he watches me.
Every time I glance up, those piercing blue eyes are fixed on me.
He eats his food, takes sips of his water, but his attention never really leaves my face.
It’s not the casual, friendly look Aiden gives me, or Ash’s warm, encouraging smiles.
Ryker looks at me like I’m something he’s figuring out how to take apart.
I try to act normal. I really do. I force myself to cut my chicken, chew, and swallow, even though my mouth feels like sandpaper.
I nod along when Ash asks me a question, forcing a smile, but my movements feel stiff.
My skin prickles under Ryker’s silent appraisal.
He watches the way I hold my fork, the way my throat works when I swallow, the way I nervously shift in my chair.
He doesn’t say a pointed thing to me the entire meal. He doesn’t have to. The message is clear enough. The trial month is ticking, and while Ash is gentle and Aiden is friendly, Ryker is waiting me out.
I grip my fork tighter, forcing myself to look back at him. I meet his stare across the table, refusing to duck my head this time. Ryker’s lips curve into a faint, dangerous smirk, and he takes a slow sip from his glass, his eyes never leaving mine.
I survive the rest of the meal, but my heart doesn’t stop hammering until I’m finally back in the safety of Ash’s bedroom, wondering how the hell I’m going to make it through the rest of this month.
I take a quick shower while Ash and the others are still in the kitchen.
Stand under the spray until the hot water turns lukewarm, letting the steam loosen the knots the dinner table tension put in my shoulders.
I turn the water off and dry my skin, pulling on new sweatpants.
I leave my shirt off, tossing the towel over the rack, and step out into the bedroom.
Ash is waiting for me. The bedside lamps are dimmed down, throwing a warm glow across the cream-colored blankets. He sits on the edge of the mattress, wearing just a pair of white boxer briefs.
He beckons me over with a flick of his fingers and a soft, reassuring smile.
I cross the carpet and stop in front of him.
He reaches out, grabbing my hips to pull me closer until I’m standing between his spread knees.
I look down at him, taking in the broad line of his shoulders and the smooth, pale skin of his chest. He looks up at me for a second, his eyes dark in the low light, then he tugs me down.
I sink onto the mattress beside him. Ash doesn’t hesitate.
He leans in and kisses me, not a tentative, questioning kiss like the ones we shared last night but bolder.
His mouth opens over mine, warm and wet, his tongue sliding against my own.
I let out a soft breath and kiss him back, my hands finding their way to his waist, feeling the firm muscle underneath his skin.
His fingers slide into my damp hair, gripping the strands at the nape of my neck and holding me steady as he deepens the kiss.
I open my mouth wider for him, letting him explore, letting him set the pace.
My cock twitches against the cotton of my sweatpants, waking up just from his mouth on mine.
I lean my weight into him, my chest brushing against his, chasing the heat he gives off.
We break apart after a minute, both of us breathing a little faster. Ash keeps one hand resting against the side of my neck, his thumb stroking my jawline. He looks into my eyes, his expression turning serious.
“We can’t keep putting this off,” he says. “I want to make sure you’re comfortable, Jax. That you’re ready to handle this.”
I swallow hard, my Adam’s apple bobbing against his palm. “I know.”
Ash traces my bottom lip with his thumb.
“Because neither of them is going to be as patient as I am. Ryker isn’t going to hold your hand through it, and Aiden expects a partner who knows how to keep up.
If you’re going to share a bed with them, you need to know how to take a cock without panicking. ”
Hearing him say it so bluntly makes my stomach dip, a mix of nerves and a sudden, sharp spike of arousal. I nod, keeping my eyes locked on his. “Okay. I get it.”
“Good,” Ash murmurs. He drops his hand from my face and hooks his fingers into the waistband of my sweatpants. He pulls them down over my hips. I lift myself off the mattress just enough to let him slide the fabric down my legs and toss them onto the floor.
I lie back on the sheets, bare and exposed.
My pulse ticks fast and hard. I’m hard, my cock stiff and jutting up toward my stomach, slick at the tip with clear pre-cum.
Ash’s gaze drags down my chest, over my stomach, lingering on my erection before dropping down to my thighs.
His attention isn’t predatory like Ryker’s, but it’s hungry, appreciative.
He likes what he sees, and knowing that makes my dick throb.
I fidget, my fingers curling into the sheets beside my hips.
It’s intimidating, letting another guy look at me like this, knowing what he plans to do to me.
The thought of taking his cock up my ass sends a weird, thrilling jolt down to my groin.
I never fantasized about this before. I didn’t even know my body could react like this.
But staring up at Ash, watching the way he looks at my naked body, I want it.
I want to know what it feels like to have him inside me.
Ash crawls up the mattress until he’s hovering over me. He plants a hand on either side of my shoulders, caging me in. The heat from his bare chest sinks into my skin.
“I’m not stopping tonight,” he tells me, his tone firm. “We’re going all the way. I’m going to stretch your hole and put my cock inside you.”
My breath catches. The explicit words strike me low in the gut.
“But you have to stay relaxed,” he continues, lowering his face until his lips are just inches from mine. “If you tense up, if you try to squeeze shut, you’re going to hurt yourself. You need to let yourself open up for me and just focus on the pleasure.”
“I understand,” I whisper, though my chest feels tight with anticipation.
Ash studies my face, reading the lingering anxiety in my eyes. He shifts his weight, dropping one hand to trail his fingertips down my sternum, circling my navel, before resting his palm flat against my lower stomach.
“I have an idea,” he says softly, his voice dropping. “Something to help you get into it.”
He leans in and brushes his lips against my ear, his breath tickling my skin. “Do you trust me, Jax?”
I don’t even have to think about it. Every time he touches me, my body begs for more.
I nod.
Ash smiles as he pushes gently against my chest, laying me flat against the mattress.
He starts by leaning down and pressing a warm, lingering kiss against my mouth, coaxing my lips apart before moving down.
His mouth traces a wet path over my jaw and down my neck, pausing to suck a patch of skin just above my collarbone.
I let out a shaky breath, my fingers curling into the cream-colored sheets as the heat of his mouth travels lower.
He kisses the center of my chest, his tongue dipping into the shallow dip of my sternum, exploring the lines of my torso with maddeningly slow care.
My skin flushes under his attention. I’m used to rushing, to fumbling in the dark and trying to get off before the guilt sets in, but Ash treats my body like it’s meant to be savored.
His hands slide up my sides, warm palms smoothing over my ribs as his mouth continues its descent.
He kisses his way down my stomach, dragging delightfully over my sensitive skin.
When he finally reaches my groin, he doesn’t dive straight in. He presses open-mouthed kisses to my hip bones, the creases of my thighs, teasing me until my hips buck upward, chasing his touch.